The Nabokov Novelle

[Dean Youngblood]

Bob McKenzie breaks down all of the Islanders' possibilities here

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/bob_mckenzie/?id=350647

Garth Snow's brain must really hurt

[mister_mcgoo]

if this is his state of mind, then I don't want him on my team in any event. What kind of a professional athlete thinks that?

yeah but translate this scenario to YOUR profession and see how much sense it makes...say you're a shoe salesman, you were laid off your job because you demanded too much money so you went overseas to work for awhile and it didn't work out for you very well (turns out Russians prefer boots to open toed shoes, who woulda suspected?). So now you are back to sell shoes in NA again. You talk to some folks in Detroit and they make you an offer and you agree to work for them for that amount. Then some random ******* in Long Island appears out of nowhere and demands that you have to come sell shoes for him in Long Island...how much sense does that make? Pretty much every other aspect of labor law mandates the basic right to work and the right to decline to work (provided you are not under contract), wtf is with the NHL then?

[mister_mcgoo]

Garth Snow's brain must really hurt

Garth Snow has a brain???

[GoalieGuild]

I understand very well the point many of you are making about Nabokov's PERSONAL reasons for not reporting to the Islanders. Many of us have had to deal with certain aspects of his situation in our lives at some point in time.

But sometimes we are forced to swallow our pride and do what's not preferred because it sets you up for more success later in life.

By not reporting to the Islanders, he's essentially closing windows of opportunity that could come from getting good exposure. Scouts aren't stupid. They watch games closely. They know that just because he might be on a bad team or might not make it to the playoffs isn't a total reflection on his potential to win games on a stronger team.

By not reporting, he's not showing any GM in the league that he's willing to do what it takes to win. He's coming off stubborn. Regardless of his PERSONAL reasons, which won't seem stubborn or wrong at all, he has to step back and look at the situation from the outside looking in.

So much of getting an opportunity as a goaltender is reputation. He's better off swallowing his pride, reporting despite not wanting to, and just buckling down and working towards something better. At least he's back in the NHL. By showing a willingness to do what he doesn't necessarily want, a scout will recognize it, GM's will see him as a "good teammate and hard worker" and that could be the tipping point for a new contract over the summer. If he doesn't report, he doesn't give himself that chance. He eliminates that slice of opportunity.

Think of all the positives that could come from him playing. A couple of big wins and he's a hero, a savior, a reclamation project, a revival story. A goalie that all of a sudden has "a few good years left in him." Those are just a few.

Think of all the negatives that could come from him playing. He struggles. He can't win games. He takes too long to get re-acclimated to the NHL. He doesn't get along well with his teammates. He posts a below-average save percentage. He doesn't get another contract and has to go back to the KHL. Those are just a few.

Think of all the positives that come from him not reporting. The crazy waiver situation, IF the Isles are gracious enough to do so, puts him back on waivers. If other teams had put in a claim, they would get a chance to grab him before Detroit. That's a risk, but at least he's out of NYI. And ummm...I can't honestly think of too many more obvious positives that come from him not reporting.

Think of all the negatives that come from him not reporting. WAY TOO MANY TO LIST.

Which one of these four do you think makes the most professional sense?

I'm not Nabokov. I'm not in his shoes. I know maybe 5% of what's going on in his head.

But sometimes life is about sacrificing aspects of the present in order to enhance your future. I'd report. I'd try to find ways to turn all of these things into positives. And if I love the game so much, I'd be on the next flight to the Island, just stoked to be in the NHL again. I'll make my own bones, thank you. I don't need to be on a good team to get the money I want. I'll earn it myself, whether I'm on a shitty team or not.

Just more of my .02 cents.

[gt.ivan]

maybe he just doesn't like snow.

pun unintentionally intended.

[islefan31]

And let's not forget that Roloson became a crowd favorite and a bit of a hero on many nights. There's just something about a guy who plays his ass off no matter what the situation is. To see a guy smash his stick over the net despite losing by 3 goals already. It's called heart...not sure Nabby has that. Playing for a below average team will do one of two things. Show how good of a goalie he really is or expose the fact he doesn't have it any more. Rolo showed he still has it.

[MT319]

I completely understand what Justin's saying..and he's totally on point about what Nabakov should do/should've done...but if we look at it from a potential team/teammate standpoint...a guy with poor work ethic and who's out there operating out of pure self-interest as opposed to what's in the best interest of his club/teammates to be successful is better off just not playing at all as opposed to go around impersonating a "great teammate" when in reality he's the exact opposite...no big loss in my eyes...the fact that he left SJ (a strong stanley cup contender no different than Detroit) in the first place cause his "contract wasn't wealthy enough" when he's already a multi-millionaire 10x over and then some is laughable (and even more so when he then turns around and signs for pennies on the dollar in Detroit) so with goaltending being a position that's so heavily reliant on mental fitness, a guy with that level of cognitive impotence is really no big loss in my eyes anyway.

[smoothfun]

The way I see it is like this:
Reguardless of whether you like or dislike Nabby , reguardless of whether he should or should not show up to play in Lon Island , the fact remains the man was offered a job with Det. for $750'000 , bargain basement price imo , now I'm guessing he decided i'll give it another shot in the NHL given this chance to play for a high end contending team where my role would likely be backing up Howard and taking a run at the cup.If all goes well I may re-sign for a fair 3 yr. contract to play the same role with this organization.
To then be grabbed by a non-contending team for who knows how much $ and probably be thrown to the wolves playing every night for God knows how long was'nt exactly what he signed up for.
I've never claimed to be much of a knowledgeable hockey person and this is just my take on this.

[Bomm Bastic]

yeah but translate this scenario to YOUR profession and see how much sense it makes...say you're a shoe salesman, you were laid off your job because you demanded too much money so you went overseas to work for awhile and it didn't work out for you very well (turns out Russians prefer boots to open toed shoes, who woulda suspected?). So now you are back to sell shoes in NA again. You talk to some folks in Detroit and they make you an offer and you agree to work for them for that amount. Then some random ******* in Long Island appears out of nowhere and demands that you have to come sell shoes for him in Long Island...how much sense does that make? Pretty much every other aspect of labor law mandates the basic right to work and the right to decline to work (provided you are not under contract), wtf is with the NHL then?

Problem with that, McGoo, is (1) he knew full well the risk going into it, (2) He burnt his KHL bridge to take that risk, and (3) He's not stuck on the Island forever.

If someone told me I had to work some hack job for 30 days prior to joining a Fortune 100 firm, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I think he's lucky he's even getting a second chance. I'm just not big on squandering opportunities.

[ross10019]

Problem with that, McGoo, is (1) he knew full well the risk going into it, (2) He burnt his KHL bridge to take that risk, and (3) He's not stuck on the Island forever.

If someone told me I had to work some hack job for 30 days prior to joining a Fortune 100 firm, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I think he's lucky he's even getting a second chance. I'm just not big on squandering opportunities.

Precisely!

He knew the risks of signing that cheapie deal with the Wings (and if he didn't Meehan, his agent, should be fired). Im sure the GMs and Players' Union will be having discussions about changing this waiver rule in the future, but it's there for a reason and all the agents/players know its ramifications.

Plus at his age he could have bitten the bullet and accepted less money in that horrid goalie market last offseason, like Turco, Niitymaaki and others did, and then he would have had more of his choice of where to go (sure he's a better goalie than them but the market is the market). Now he says "nyet!" to coming to New York for all of 35 games? Yes it's the Islanders but it's not like he's shlepping his family to Timbuktu, he's coming to Manhattan for chrissakes! I have to imagine for his family, this might even be better than moving to a suburb in Detroit.

And regardless of where he's going, stick it out for this season, take advantage and forge some solid relationships with a new team full of young guys, and then see what's out there in the summer. Be a great teammate and provide some experience to Poulin and Lawson, even DiPietro, and help out the goalie coaches. Play really hard and take advantage of all the rubber you're facing to again show the world that what you did with the Sharks all those years was no fluke, and not solely due to the fact that it was a powerhouse team in front of you. Play like a god in front of a young, inexperienced D, and watch your value soar. Instead, he's going to sit on his ass for the next 7 months and won't even have the benefit of playing NHL competition during that period, which at his age can only be a bad thing, and all 30 GMs are going to take that into account when he presents himself to the market for next year.

With this move, who knows what future opportunities Nabby is destroying. Maybe showing a great attitude and playing for the Isles would have opened up an opportunity to join a contender next year. I'm a big believer in never, EVER, burning bridges, no matter what your profession. Nabby is doing a demolition expert thing on a few of his bridges with this petty move. If he was my kid, I'd be seriously disappointed in such a decision.

I am dumbfounded by this move. Some guys just don't get it.

[islefan31]

Precisely!

Yes it's the Islanders but it's not like he's shlepping his family to Timbuktu, he's coming to Manhattan for chrissakes! I have to imagine for his family, this is much better than moving to some suburb in Detroit.

And regardless of where he's going, stick it out for this season, take advantage and forge some solid relationships with a new team full of young guys, and then see what's out there in the summer. Be a great teammate and provide some experience to Poulin and Lawson, even DiPietro, and help out the goalie coaches. Play really hard and take advantage of all the rubber you're facing to again show the world that what you did with the Sharks all those years was no fluke, and not solely due to the fact that it was a powerhouse team in front of you. Play like a god in front of a young, inexperienced D, and watch your value soar. Instead, he's going to sit on his ass for the next 7 months and won't even have the benefit of playing NHL competition during that period, which at his age can only be a bad thing, and all 30 GMs are going to take that into account when he presents himself to the market for next year.

With this move, who knows what future opportunities Nabby is destroying. Maybe showing a great attitude and playing for the Isles would have opened up an opportunity to join a contender next year. I'm a big believer in never, EVER, burning bridges, no matter what your profession. Nabby is doing a demolition expert thing on a few of his bridges with this petty move. If he was my kid, I'd be seriously disappointed in such a decision.

I am dumbfounded by this move. Some guys just don't get it.

Well Long Island isn't exactly Manhatten...it is just like a suburb in Detroit...just in NY. LOL Having said that your exactly right. The season is more then half over...take the money and run. Prove yourelf again, then you can start asking for bigger and better.

[ross10019]

What about the flip side? Lets say Nabokov did go to the islanders, and played terrible? His trade value would be next to nothing, no contending team would want him. This way, by refusing to play for the isles, he is forcing them to trade him to a contending team (aka detroit), where even if he plays average, his numbers will be good since he is on a strong team...thus extending his nhl career, especially if he wins a cup which will be an even bigger payout for him.

If he is making his contract decisions based on the concern that he will play "terribly" or even "average", then he's got a whole other set of issues.

[ross10019]

Well Long Island isn't exactly Manhatten...it is just like a suburb in Detroit...just in NY. LOL Having said that your exactly right. The season is more then half over...take the money and run. Prove yourelf again, then you can start asking for bigger and better.

Whether he's living in a nice suburb out in LI or in Manhattan (he'd probably choose the latter and commute to games/practices every day), the point is he and his family would have access to all that greater NYC has to offer. Maybe his family really loves the suburbs and quiet cities, etc., but if I had to guess, if you asked them whether they wanted to live near NYC or Detroit for 4-6 months, odds are they'd say NYC.

[mister_mcgoo]

Well Long Island isn't exactly Manhatten...it is just like a suburb in Detroit...just in NY. LOL Having said that your exactly right. The season is more then half over..

yeah I found that comment really curious, especially since Ross LIVES in Manhattan -lol The Isles play way the **** out on the island in Uniondale, that's a good hour drive from the city...totally different than NYC

The point I am making is not that I agree with this movefrom a strategic standpoint, I agree with you guys that it was a poor career choice for him if returning to the NHL is his top priority. But all this silly talk of him being selfish or a prima donna or 'bigger than the game' etc is really short-sighted IMO. Sure, maybe he burned bridges with this move, but have you considered that he might not give a ****? Maybe he was poised to retire with his millions to a little dacha in the mountains and was only lured back to the NHL by the potential to play for a serious cup contender like the Wings? Everyone wants to win a cup, nothing strange about that. I know personally if I'm at that stage of my life/career, my decisions for my future have less than nothing to do with the perceptions of other NHL GMs or some jilted Isles fans. I'm guessing he said to himself "well its probably a long shot but lets see if I can clear waivers and wind up with Detroit...if it happens then awesome, if it doesn't then at least I tried'

[GoalieGuild]

Glad to see this topic is still rolling.

I don't think Nabby is a primadonna or bigger than the game or anything like that (not saying you mentioned that or anything, just clarifying).

I do think he's shutting the windows of opportunity faster than he should be. And he probably or maybe doesn't even realize it.